[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF SIDNEY HARVEY CRAIG

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 2008

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of 
a special man, Sidney Harvey Craig of Santa Fe, California, who 
recently passed away at the age of 76 years old. He leaves behind his 
loving wife Jenny, 5 children and 13 grandchildren.
  Mr. Craig, affectionately known as Sid, was born on March 22, 1932 in 
Vancouver, British Columbia and was raised in Alhambra, California. 
After attending Mt. San Antonio College, Mr. Craig transferred to 
Fresno State College and graduated with a major in business and 
psychology. While at Fresno State he taught dance classes at the Arthur 
Murray dance studio. Upon graduating from Fresno State he joined the 
Arthur Murray dance studio and before long owned several franchises and 
served on its board of directors.
  At the age of 22 years old he was stationed in San Diego serving in 
the U.S. Navy. During the same time he became friends with Hal King, 
who introduced him to horseracing. King would later become Sid's 
business partner, trainer and racing manager until he died in 1991. 
Sid's love for horses led to him owning a number of successful 
thoroughbreds. In 1995 Sid and his wife Jenny purchased a 237-acre 
thoroughbred horse-racing stable in Rancho Santa Fe. Several of their 
thoroughbreds raced in the Belmont Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, and 
one set a Del Mar track record for 1\1/4\ mile.
  After moving to Australia with his wife Jenny in 1982 they started 
Jenny Craig International, the successful weight-loss program which 
went public on the New York Stock Exchange after only two years. At the 
height of their careers, Sid and Jenny oversaw more than 650 Jenny 
Craig centers in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 
Twenty-three years and 4 million dieters later, they eventually sold 
the Jenny Craig centers to Nestle.
  In 1992 Mr. Craig returned to his alma mater and made a significant 
donation to the Fresno State School of Business, which was renamed in 
his honor to the Sid Craig School of Business. In 1993, Fresno State 
President John Welty also gave him an honorary degree of doctorate for 
his contributions to the university, his commitment to others and its 
students. And to this day, the community of Fresno credits Sid and 
Jenny Craig's generosity for helping the Sid Craig School of Business 
become one of the top 100 business schools in the country. Mr. Craig 
was known for his philanthropist style with business, his generosity 
and for his passion for horseracing.
  Sid Craig will be remembered by many for his success in business, his 
generous philanthropy, and for his passion for horseracing. I am 
honored and humbled to join his family in celebrating the life of this 
amazing man. His presence will be missed in our community and by many 
others whose lives he so graciously touched.

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